Awakening Hearts
by Hot Crimson Passion
Summary: While watching over Sora, waiting for the brunet to be awoken from his nightmares, Lea is reminded of the Nobody that had been reabsorbed by the keyblader. What are these new feelings that he has been having since reaquiring his heart? Non-AU, Slight KH:3D spoilers. Mentions of LeaxRoxas, RikuxSora, slight LeaxSora


Awakening Hearts

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Why was he stuck doing this? Of all the jobs that he could have been assigned, or the practicing that he could have been doing, why of all things, was he watching over the sleeping teen? He would much rather be spending this time with the three good fairies and the crazy magician – despite how annoying they were – to do more training. Hell, even being out planning the party that the duck and the dog had insisted on throwing would be better than babysitting duty.

Sora.

What exactly was so special about him anyway? After all, he was only human, a fact that was proved so much more by recent events. When Riku had entered into his best friend's dreams once more in order to wake him up, Yen Sid had suggested moving the younger keyblade wielder onto this small bed. Due to the delicate nature of this particular dive for both Riku and Sora, the sorcerer wanted someone watching over the small brunet to ensure that his body was not swallowed by darkness once more. And with everyone else currently busy doing other things, it left only one person available to stand guard.

With a sigh, the lanky man leaned forward in his chair once again, his arms crossed along the top of it. Man, he was bored. Though he was grateful to even be alive, it still left him with nothing to do while guarding the teenager that was still soundly asleep in the bed. Turning his vivid green eyes in the boy's direction once more, he allowed himself to take notice of Sora's features. So much like…just thinking about the Nobody that had been reabsorbed by the brunet caused a pain in the man's newly reacquired heart. The blond had been his first thought upon waking whole once again, and the memories of the promise that he had made to him before they had both faded from being Nobodies. He wanted to see Roxas again. Instead, he was here looking over the young keyblade wielder who housed Roxas' being, memories and soul. Was there a chance that Roxas was still conscious in Sora's body? Would he remember their time together in the organization? Would he remember their friendship? Would there be any way for him to return to this plain of existence? With his newfound powers, was there any way that he would be able to see Roxas again?

Truth be told, once the rodent king and the aged sorcerer had mentioned to him about the Seven Guardians of Light, he knew that he had to be one of them, which is why he was so insistent on getting his training done so fast. He had to atone for his sins. Despite his training starting so late, he was picking it up quickly, but not fast enough. Soon enough though, he would have to go back to Radiant Garden, if only to share his findings with Ienzo and Aeleus. He also wanted to see how Even and Dilan were recovering. But for now, he was stuck here babysitting the unconscious brunet.

"Are you still in there, Roxas?" he whispered into the silence of the room, mostly for his own hearing. Sighing once again, he leaned his head down on his bent arms that rested along the back of the chair that he was currently straddling. How had things become so messed up? Why had he and Isa been so adamant about becoming involved with those stupid experiments? Why hadn't Isa reappeared after Kingdom Hearts had been destroyed? Why was he still Saïx and working for Xehanort? He had so many questions and no answers for any of them. He wasn't even sure why he had gone with the King to rescue Sora from the reforming Organization. The only reasoning that he could come up with was he going back to the only Nobody that ever made him feel like he had a heart. The complications just kept piling up in this second chance at life.

As his vivid green eyes scanned over the petit teen once again, he was surprised that instead of the peaceful look of slumber that Sora had been sporting over the past few hours, the brunet now wore a grimace that looked like a mixture of pain and reluctance to wake up. As this was the first change that he had seen in the teenager since coming to watch over him, the lanky man watched with rapt interest to see what was about to happen. Normally he would go and seek out either the King or the Sorcerer, but he was told not to leave Sora's side, just in case the darkness was taking further hold of his heart or something worse started happening. So patiently he just continued to sit there and observe the brunet's actions, all movement being contained to his face for the time being. However, despite the uncomfortable look, it definitely seemed that some colour was returning to the teen's face. Could that mean that Riku had succeeded? At the sound of Sora's quiet whimpers as well, he was sure of it. The young keyblade wielder would wake up, and he would probably be doing so very soon.

"Riku!" Well, it turned out that he was right. Sora sat up in a rush, crying out his best friend's name, his hands instantly going to his head, no doubt finding movement a little painful at the moment. After all, his recent experiences had been nothing simple or safe.

"He's still off, dozing in dream land. I'm sure though now that you are awake, finally, he will be up and about in no time," he explained to the teen as the brunet lay back down on the bed, a grimace of pain still on his face. Once he was lying down and his head stopped spinning quite so much, Sora looked over at who had spoken.

"Lea?" he question, the surprise obvious in his voice as he saw the former Nobody sitting backwards in the chair next to the bed.

Lea almost fell backwards and out of the chair at the name, not because it surprised him that Sora was addressing him, but because the brunet had gotten his name correct without Lea having to say something. "You called me Lea…" was the only thing that the redhead was able to say.

"You're whole again, aren't you? That means that you aren't Axel anymore," responded the teen as he rubbed his eyes, trying to get rid of the remaining sleep in them.

The redhead could only chuckle lightly as he rested his chin on his folded arms again. "You are the first person besides Ienzo to not call me Axel since I woke up. You have no idea how annoying it is having to correct everyone all the time."

Sora offered a small smile as he rolled over and faced the lanky redhead. "Actually I know exactly how you feel. Do you know how many members of the Organization called me Roxas? At least you know who Axel is…was…whatever. I had no idea who Roxas was, or why people kept calling me his name."

At the mention of the blond Nobody's name once again, Lea felt a constriction appear around his heart once again. "Roxas…do you have any of his memories or do you still feel his presence?" it was a question that had burning in him since reawakening. He had to know. And what better time to find out than now, when there was no one else around to hear these things.

The smile that was on the brunet's lips slowly faded as he was confronted with thoughts and memories. "He's still there. I wish there was a way to allow him to become his own person. If anyone deserves it, it's him. But it's only been recently that I got his memories of his time with the Organization…with Axel."

"Really?" there was a spark of hope in Lea's words, and a small flame of relief appeared in those bright green eyes that continued to bare down on the smaller teen. "You remember the time that we spent together?"

Against the small pillow, the brunet nodded, allowing the smile that he had been wearing to reappear. "Yeah. You guys sure ate a lot of ice cream. "

At Sora's wording, the hope that had built inside the taller man faded quickly. "We did, didn't we," he answered, knowing that his words sounded mournful. 'You guys…'"Why?"

Blue eyes squinted in confusion as he saw the lost look on the former Nobody's face. "Why what?"

Taking in a deep breath, Lea ran his fingers in small circles under his eyes, momentarily forgetting that the only thing that had changed upon his reawakening was the fact that the two inverted triangles were no longer there. Why did things have to become so convoluted? Sure Sora was naïve and liked to dive head into anything, but could he really not understand why Lea was disappointed? "You have his memories, but you still see him as a separate being, don't you?"

"Of course! Roxas deserves to be his own person. I can't take that from him. He told me that it has to be me, that it can't be both of us, but I refuse to believe that there is no way for him to be able to exist outside my heart." With a hand firmly pressed against his head, and the other over his heart, the brunet then attempted to sit up one again, albeit slower this time. The dizziness passed, but there was still an odd feeling in his heart, something that had nothing to do with his recent nightmares. "It's not fair to him to have to live through me. He needs to be able to live his own life."

"Nobodies are not supposed to exist. I thought you would have learned that by now," huffed the redhead, running his gloved fingers through his hair in an attempt to calm himself down. He could feel the frustration building inside him, as well as his temper, a feeling that had become all too common as of late, especially while training.

"I refuse to believe that. I think that a Nobody is shaped by their own actions, and just like everyone, there happens to be good ones and evil ones. It's their actions that determine their fate, and all shouldn't be punished into nonexistence by the actions of a few." Bright blue eyes closed at the words as the young keyblader's face turned up towards the ceiling.

Huffing out, Lea slumped back down to rest his chin on his arms again. "If that's so true, why did those members of the Organization who were up to no good, yours truly included, become whole again? We were the bad guys, remember? Why did most of us get what we wanted in the end even though we did no good to deserve it?"

Sora just shrugged. "You all were just following orders. You had no choice in the matter. And if your Other is good, what's to say that your Nobody isn't instinctively acting upon those memories? You were only shown one path and had no choice other than to follow it. So you were given a second chance to do things right."

"So then why were those of us who were so steeped in darkness and wrongdoing rewarded with becoming whole again, while _He_ only wanted to do what was right, and questioned everything from the start, doesn't get that privilege? Why did the rest of us get to keep our memories and selves, yet _He_ does get that opportunity?" Lea could feel the anger still building inside him, and despite his desire to keep a tight rein on it, he could already feel it seeping through. His voice had taken on a slightly growled edge, but surprisingly Sora didn't even wince.

"And that's why I refuse to give up on making him his own being," Sora's sapphire eyes once again turned to face the redhead, sadness and regret shining in them that didn't match the melancholy smile that appeared on his lips. "I know that you made him a promise to always be there to bring you guys back together. I want to help you keep that promise."

Averting his eyes at the memory of the smiling blond asking him if he had it memorize, Lea felt another surge of emotion, one that he was still trying to get used to. "That's not something that I need help with. I want to bring him back on my own terms."

"Why can't you accept a little help with that? I want to bring him back too," argued the brunet, "Sometimes you need to accept the help that your friends will offer you."

"Not for this!" exclaimed Lea. "This is something that I need to do on my own, for _him_. It was a promise that I made to _him_, for _him_."

Sora cocked his head to the side a little, wondering why Lea was being so adamant about refusing assistance. After all, no one knew better than Sora himself about how to accept aid when looking for your lost friends. He had gotten so much help from so many friends while on his journey to find both Kairi and Riku. Why couldn't Lea accept that same sort of help? "But we're your friends, Lea; it's something that we all want too. Why can't you accept that?"

Unable to look back at the teenager, the redhead clenched his eyes tightly closed, wondering how this brat was able to look passed everything and get him to want to say what he didn't want to speak out loud. "Trust me, my reasons for wanting to bring him back are completely selfish and I don't need anyone else to help me. I need to do it on my own."

Scoffing, Sora finally found the energy to turn around so that his legs were now hanging off the edge of the bed and he was finally facing the former Nobody. "Do you think I don't know how much you want him back? He wants you to find him just as much."

At those words, Lea quickly turned to face the brunet once again. "You can feel him? Roxas?"

With a nod, Sora looked down cast once again. "He wants you to know that he is waiting for you to find him and to stop being an idiot and just accept the help already. He's ready for the next batch of icing on the cake."

"Roxas…"Lea whispered, knowing for certain that the words hadn't come from Sora, but from the lost Nobody. Roxas really was still in there, waiting for him. There really was a chance that he would be able to see him again…Before he could do anything to help himself, the redhead was out of his chair, the piece of furniture knocked out of the way, the lanky man was kneeling on the floor in front of the teen, arms wrapped tightly around the petit body.

Not knowing what else to do, the brunet returned the hug, but gasped when he felt the single tear escape from the corner of his eye at the embrace. Lea was so warm, most likely due to the fire element that he favoured, but there was something else contained in the hug that Sora recognized. "Lea…" the cracking voice surprised both Sora and Lea, the tone being one that the redhead hadn't heard in so long, but remembered so well. If Roxas was able to speak through Sora, it reminded them both of how close Roxas was.

With the surge of emotion that he felt at the sound of the blond's voice, Lea pulled back only enough to look into the teenager's eyes. They were the same: the same crystalline sapphire that he knew so well. The remains of a single tear still stained the corner, proof that _he _wasn't lost. _He_ was still there, observing and waiting. Unable to resist, the redhead then captured the pale lips with his own, needing to feel the presence a little more. After a slight hesitation, he finally got a response from the teen, thin arms tightening around him. Light movements allowed him to massage the lips against his own, relishing in the softness that those lips held. Crushing the small body against his own, Lea couldn't get close enough to satisfy him. When he parted his lips in order to allow his tongue to snake out and trace the sweetness of the younger man trapped in his arms, something hit the redhead. Roxas had tasted like Sea Salt Ice Cream…the boy in his arms now tasted sweeter…like the icing on the cake. Feeling as if he had been dosed with a bucket of cold water, the fire within Lea died down and he slowed his movements, pulling away slightly and breathing out a light chuckle. With reluctance, he sat back up, releasing Sora from his arms, sitting back on the floor, looking only at his feet.

"Lea…" Sora questioned, reaching a hand out to the redhead, placing it on the black clad bent knee. The touch caused the lanky man to jerk, looking up at him, torment apparent in the vivid green eyes.

Ignoring the slight blush on the brunet's cheeks, Lea turned away, unable to look at the boy who wasn't Roxas. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that. I just…I wanted to know…Roxas…"

"You love him, more than a best friend, right?" as he spoke, Sora slid off the bed so that he was sitting in front of the former Nobody, wanting to be at the same level for this conversation.

The barest nod was the only indication of acknowledgement from the taller man, silence encompassing the two of them for several long moments. Sora refused to break that silence, knowing that Lea would need to speak about this sooner or later. What better time than now? He could wait. He had patience.

"I never told him, because I never knew." The whispered words cut through the silence and it was all that Sora could do to resist reaching out to the former Nobody, but knew that his comfort would be seen as false by the redhead, as a shadow created by Roxas. "It wasn't until I got my heart back that I realized that I did. Amazing what having a heart will make you realize about emotions, huh? I just wish I could have let him know it. No offence to you but it's just not the same."

"He knew. He knew all along," answered the brunet just as quietly. The redhead looked back up at him, and all that Sora could do was offer a small smile, one that definitely wasn't his own. With just as much smirk as smile, he could feel the emotions coming from that part of his heart that had a separate presence, happiness and contentment radiating from that place that had become Roxas. "He feels the same way, which is why he wants you to accept the help in bringing him back."

Looking at the brunet's face for signs of lies or mistruths, Lea couldn't help but notice that there was something a little different about the shine in the brunet's sapphire eyes. "Roxas…" he couldn't contain the happiness in his own voice, but still couldn't manage to smile as he reached out to place a gloved hand on the still flushed skin of Sora's cheek. "I will bring you back, I promise. Got it memorized?"

Sora nodded with a smile before that momentary difference in his eyes disappeared and he felt Roxas disappear back into place he had claimed as his own. "Lea…"

Finally offering a small smile of his own, Lea leaned in with a clear intention, but when he saw a brief moment of panic cross through the brunet's eyes this time, he paused. "I can't do this to you."

"I'm sorry," Sora apologized. He really didn't know what else to say. The first kiss he had allowed because of Roxas, and the need to let Lea know that the blond was still there and felt that way, but he couldn't continue to let the redhead use him as a replacement for his Nobody. At least Lea understood it before it got too far along.

Dropping his hand, the redhead then reached it up to run through the wayward crimson spikes. "I guess this is my punishment. I'm finally whole and can recognize these stupid emotions for what they are, and I can't even share them. Serves me right I guess." He then began to laugh lightly, the sound holding no humour at all. How could have thought it would be so easy. At least there was still a chance. Maybe he should accept the assistance of Sora and his group of weirdoes, there was the small chance that they could help him in getting Roxas back sooner. Not to mention once they assembled the Guardians of Light, it would mean 7 keyblade wielders, and several masters at that. If they couldn't find a way to restore Roxas, no one could. Maybe it would be worth it. And he would step up his own training even further so that he could have the power to help them, or even lead them. But there was something else that was nagging at the back of the former Nobody's mind and heart about how Sora had reacted to the kiss and the momentary fear that had passed over his face. It wasn't like the brunet to be prejudice, so Lea doubted that he was bothered by the fact that they were both male. It was something completely different. "Does he know?"

"Does who know what?" Sora questioned as he pulled himself up off the floor. He swayed on his feet for only a moment, but recovered quickly in order to reach a hand down to offer assistance to the taller man getting to his feet. Lea took the offered hand with a smirk and once to his feet brushed off the back of his long black cloak.

"Does Riku know that you love him?" inquired the redhead as he examined his fingers thoughtfully, his bright green eyes trained on the teenager in order to gauge his reaction. If these instincts that he was feeling were correct, he wasn't sure how the brunet would react.

To the redhead's surprise, Sora just grinned broadly, placing his hands at the back of his head. "Of course he does. What do you think that we talked about when we were trapped in the Dark Realm?"

"Which explains why he was so worried about you not waking up," Lea laughed, earning another blush from the petit teen. Wrapping a long arm around the brunet's shoulders, he just smirked. "Well, the dog and the duck are planning a tea party to celebrate you guys waking up, so let's go see what they have going on and your prince charming should be waking up soon, and if he's not, you should be able to wake him with a kiss."

With an embarrassed laugh, Sora allowed himself to be lead towards the door, Lea continuing to ramble on about how boring it is here and how could Sora standing being around Donald and Goofy for so much time because they were so annoying. At the continuous contact, the brunet could feel Roxas flair in his heart once again. 'I promise, we will find a way to make you your own being again so you can be with Lea and see what good having heart again has done for him,' he pledged to his Nobody.

'_I'm looking forward to it. I meant it when I said you make a good Other.' _A whisper of words came into Sora's mind and brought a smile to his lips. He had another mission to see to, one that he would not fail at.

* * *

Don't know where this little drabble came from, just felt like I wanted to write it:D Probably has to do with the fact that I have recently started replaying all the KH games in order and just finished KH2. Got to thinking about how ticked off both Lea and Sora get when people call them by their Nobody's names lol. Then I embelished it with my fangirlism XD It was weird for me writing a story without a lemon scene in it, but I did enjoy it, so maybe if I have more ideas like this in the future, I will write more! Next chapter for In The Marble Halls of Althenia should be out soon as well, along with my precious Pahoyhoy's Seiner one shot! I promise you lovey that I will get it out for you before you get more l'il Hoys in your live! I love you!

Let me know what you think about this little drabble and if you would like me to continue writing some things like this, or if i should just stick to writing lemons lol. all constructive critism welcome! Thanks as always and until next time!


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